Tennis rackets require care in order to achieve their maximum useful life. They are subject to being damaged when they are transported by the owner either on a short trip to a tennis court or on a longer vacation trip. Also, they can become damaged or warped during storage.
At present, when a tennis player is traveling, either locally or on a long trip, the racket is usually covered with the fabric or plastic cover and hand-carried, or put into an accessory bag with other tennis items and either hand-carried or carried by means of a shoulder strap. When the racket is stored, it is usually hung on a hook by a loop on the racket cover or simply leaned against a wall in a closet or on a shelf. The cover for the racket is usually a fabric bag of some sort or a plastic bag with a side zipper. Some tennis players apply a conventional wooden press to the racket head. The press fits over the fabric or plastic cover and applies pressure at four points by the use of four wing nuts or screws or similar means.
When a racket is transported by a car, it is usually put in a safe place to prevent the puncturing of the cover and the breakage of strings which might occur in the event that the car should stop suddenly. When carried on an airplane, the racket is often placed under the seat where someone's foot could puncture the cover and break the strings. The shape of the racket makes it difficult to handle and protect while traveling.
The conventional wooden racket press is seldom used while traveling in either a car or an airplane because it adds bulk and weight to an already awkward item. Moreover, the metal parts of the press extend outwardly and are dangerous in that they can easily tear clothing, particularly stockings, and can snag on almost any item that comes into contact with them. Thus, the wooden press is usually used only for storage purposes.
Neither the wooden presses or the vinyl or fabric covers in use today offer protection from punctures, and ripping of the strings of the racket.
The prior art has not provided any satisfactory solution to the above-discussed problem of protecting a tennis racket both during travel and in storage. Illustrative of the prior art are the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,027,786; 1,197,332; 2,180,783; 2,196,625; 2,750,190; 3,604,706; and 3,343,838.
The racket case and press shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,027,786 requires an elaborate structure with exposed screw fastenings that may catch on things in transit, and requires screwing the apparatus between the strings of the racket which may damage the strings. Moreover, the screws can be misplaced.
The design shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,197,332 requires fastenings that go between the strings of the racket, and it does not adequately protect the racket from weather.
The racket press shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,180,783 provides no protection against weather and requires a cover in addition to the use of a press.
The device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,196,625 serves primarily as a frame and press and offers no weather or cover protection.
The racket press shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,750,190 requires the use of a separate cover for portable use and during bad weather conditions.
The racket press and cover shown in each of the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,343,838 and 3,604,706 is complicated and elaborate construction and would be expensive.